Activity 16: Discovering Your Abilities

FOR THE TEACHER

Introduction

The purpose of this activity is to help students understand the different abilities measured by the Ability Profiler assessment, and what their scores mean. (This activity should only be delivered after students have completed all sections of the Ability Profiler assessment.)

Setting the Stage

Give everyone a piece of paper and ask them to write the following across the top: “Student’s name is good at…..” Have them add the first talent or ability to their list, and ask them to stand beside their desks (leaving their papers on top of their desks). Direct students to another desk—the desk in front of them, two desks to their left, etc.— where they will add a different talent or ability to that student’s list. They can add anything as long as it’s positive and respectful (e.g. drawing, listening, explaining math problems, etc.). Continue directing students to new spots, or ask them to circulate the room, adding to other students’ lists of abilities. You can also contribute to students’ lists. After five minutes, have students return to their desks and read their lists. Not only does this exercise encourage students to be kind to one another, but it also prompts students to think about their abilities—especially those that they may not recognize in themselves. The task facing most students is figuring out how to capitalize on their abilities. (Have students reflect on this opening activity in the My Journal section of their SDMyLife Portfolios.)

Additional classroom discussion can focus on how the results of the Ability Profiler assessment can help students understand what their core strengths are relative to their other abilities. Remind students that results are not an indication of intelligence or academic standing. The Ability Profiler measures how easily an examinee can perform certain tasks. Regardless of their scores, everyone will find that they’ve performed better in certain ability areas than others.

You can use printer-friendly versions of students’ Ability Profiles for this activity. The Understanding Your Ability Profiler Results sheet is included as a quick reference guide to help students interpret their Ability Profiler scores. You can print it out with this activity and re-use it with its sister activity (Activity 17 – Your Abilities and Career Ideas) to help students understand the integrated Matchmaker-Ability Profiler suggestion list and the Suitable For You? feedback.

Starting the Program

Teachers & Advisors: Go to www.careercruising.com/SDSchool. Enter your school’s username and password, and your personal advisor password in the spaces provided, and click Login. In the menu bar on the left side of the page, click on the Enter Career Cruising button.

Students: Go to www.SDMyLife.com. Enter your SDMyLife Portfolio username and password in the spaces provided, and click Login. careercruising.com | 1.800.965.8541 ext. 137 Understanding Your Ability Profiler Results

MY ABILITY PROFILE SUMMARY

1. This is the ability area that is being scored. Click on the name of the ability to read a description of the ability.

2. Your raw score is the number of questions you answered correctly for that section of the test. This score is NOT reflected in your percentile score.

3. Your percentile score (in bar and numerical form) indicates the percentage of scores that are equal to or lower than yours for that section of the Ability Profiler. For example, if your percentile score is 67%, that means that 67 out of 100 examinees in the sample group scored at or below your level on that portion of the assessment. (In other words, you scored as well as, or higher than, 67% of examinees.) Your score is not compared to other students’ scores.

ABILITY PROFILER AND MY MATCHMAKER CAREER SUGGESTIONS LIST

4. This is the occupation that Matchmaker has suggested for you based on your interests. Your original career suggestions and their order have not changed.

5. This is the number of abilities (of the six tested) in which your scores are close to or more than 15% higher than the scores of 6. This is the number of abilities (of the six tested) in which your scores are people in the occupation (the green bar). more than 15% below the scores of people in the occupation (the red bar).

ABILITY PROFILER RESULTS AND SUITABLE FOR YOU? FEEDBACK

7. When you click on an occupation from your Matchmaker list, you can view a graph that compares your Ability Profile scores (blue) to the scores typically required for the occupation (green). There are two ways to evaluate your scores: level, how high or low your scores are in each of the six ability areas compared to the scores of people in the occupation; and fit, how your relative strengths and weaknesses (the relationship between all of your abilities) compare to those of individuals in the occupation. To check fit, try to visually separate your results graph from the career graph to see if the “shape” of the two graphs is similar. If you show strength or weakness in the same ability areas as individuals in the occupation—even if you do not yet match the level of ability required—then your abilities can be considered a “fit.” careercruising.com | 1.800.965.8541 ext. 137 Worksheet 16: Discovering Your Abilities Page 1 of 4 MY ABILITY PROFILE SUMMARY

Log in to your SDMyLife Portfolio and click on My Assessments in the SDMyLife Portfolio menu. Click on Ability Profiler and then click the My Ability Profile link in the Related Links section to view your full profile.

Rank your abilities from highest to lowest percentile score. Click on each ability name to learn more about the ability, and write down the keywords that describe the ability. (e.g. related skills, activities, or fields of work)

Score: ______Ability: ______

Description: ______

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Description: ______

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Description: ______

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Description: ______

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Description: ______

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Description: ______

______careercruising.com | 1.800.965.8541 ext. 137 Worksheet 16: Discovering Your Abilities Page 2 of 4 1. What surprises you about your results?

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2. How would you have described or ranked your abilities before taking the Ability Profiler?

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3. How do your percentile scores relate to each other? (e.g. My arithmetic reasoning and computation scores are much higher than the rest; My scores are evenly spaced out.)

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4. Which part of the Ability Profiler assessment did you find easiest to complete? Was that reflected in your score? (i.e. Did you score the highest on the portion of the test that you found the easiest?)

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5. Which part of the Ability Profiler assessment did you find difficult? Was that reflected in your score? (i.e. Did you score the lowest on the portion of the test that you found the most difficult?)

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6. Why do you think you showed the strongest ability in the area that you did? (i.e. What training or experiences have helped you develop that ability?)

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careercruising.com | 1.800.965.8541 ext. 137 Worksheet 16: Discovering Your Abilities Page 3 of 4

7. Which ability or abilities would you like to develop further? How could you do that?

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8. Give some examples of how you use the abilities measured in the Ability Profiler in your daily life. (e.g. I use computation to calculate how much money I owe for lunch; I use clerical perception to proofread my essays)

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SUMMARY – YOUR VIEWS

Now that you know a little more about your abilities, answer the following questions:

9. Why is it important to learn about your abilities?

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10. It can be challenging to assess your strengths from an objective point of view. What did you learn about yourself from the Ability Profiler?

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11. How can you use your strongest abilities to your advantage?

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careercruising.com | 1.800.965.8541 ext. 137 Worksheet 16: Discovering Your Abilities Page 4 of 4

12. What other talents, strengths, or abilities do you have? How do you plan to use those abilities?

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Be sure to record your reflections about your Ability Profiler results in the My Journal section of your personal SDMyLife Portfolio.

careercruising.com | 1.800.965.8541 ext. 137